Friday, 21 March 2014

All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy

Hopefully by now you'll have gathered that we work pretty hard here at Zodiac. Time is short, and budgets are tight, so we have to use our time here as efficiently as possible (it's amazing how 24-hour daylight encourages long working hours). But that doesn't mean we never have any fun.

(Mine 8 - photo courtesy Martin Hagger)

Since Utgard was only discovered a hundred-odd years ago, there isn't a lot of history or culture. But we do have a genuine ghost town in the north of the island - the old Soviet mining colony of Vitangelsk, and the abandoned mines around it. They've sat derelict since the Russians withdrew in 1991; a spooky place for a day out. If it's tourist attractions you want, this is pretty much it. But be aware: the Utgard Treaty forbids taking souvenirs.

(Photo courtesy Tom Forshaw)

Some of us have to climb down crevasses and moulins for work. And some of us do it for fun! Above, a picture that shows the weather's never too bad for a spot of snow caving. Below, a crevasse on the Helbreen glacier. Come on in, the ice is fine!

(Photo courtesy Miriam Iorwerth)

And when it's too cold to go out, we have regular movie nights and themed dinners on the Platform, a pool room which has to be seen to be believed, and state-of-the-art entertainment technology in the radio room.